2021 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 13

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-3) at Atlanta Falcons (5-6)

Sunday, December 5, 1PM ET

The Atlanta Falcons’ Week 12 win was cute. They’ve been awful over the last few weeks and managed to hold off a feisty Jaguars team to the very end. Sure, they maintained their spot in the race for the final NFC playoff spot, but they didn’t convince me they’re ready to compete.

As for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they made a strong statement against the Colts in Week 12. While it was far from a dominant performance against a quality club, Tom Brady and Co. showed the resilience needed to conduct a comeback win. Their defense stiffed in the second half and made just enough stops to secure the victory.

Furthermore, the Buccaneers’ offense flashed some of the explosiveness we saw earlier in the season. Leonard Fournette had a huge game, and Brady made big throws when they were needed. As long as they can keep this momentum, it’s going to be tough to slow the Buccaneers in the final few weeks.

Matt Ryan is slowly fading, and the Atlanta offense is essentially relying on Cordarrelle Patterson to keep them alive. Tampa Bay finds a way to slow him down, and the win goes to the away team as it looks to further solidify its position among the NFC’s top contenders.

Prediction: Buccaneers win 34-13 | Spread: Buccaneers (-10.5)